I hate my Yeti SB 140. It has been about a few weeks of testing at this point and I'm starting to realize things are not going to get better for me. You can normally tell if I am enjoying a bike by if it has a specialized Mirror saddle on it. That is my favorite saddle and I normally reserve it for bikes I see myself keeping for a long time. Unfortunately for the Yeti SB140, its time in my quiver of test bikes might be short lived as I find myself struggling to choose it in the morning. I still have been taking it out on lots of big rides to make sure I get as much test time on it as possible, but it almost seems as if every ride further cements my thoughts on the bike itself.
Now is the Yeti SB 140 a bad bike? Absolutely not. It is hands down one of the fastest mid-travel 29ers on the market that I have tested. It carries an absurd amount of speed and only gets more comfortable the harder you push it. It generates speed seemingly out of nowhere, with every small bump in the trail becoming another opportunity to pump off of and launch yourself forward. In the attack position, this bike inspires a level of race confidence I never even knew existed in me.
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Pedaling wise, this might just be one of the most efficient climbers as well. The bike sits a tad higher in the travel on climbs making the lockout almost seem like a good place to shave weight by removing it, as I can’t see myself ever locking it. The bike itself also is absurdly light, and if I had to guess I would think it is possibly one of the lighter 140mm 29ers on the market. Everything about this bike screams efficient and pedaling out of the saddle in sprints is no different.
Well then what is not to love? Afterall, I am a big advocate of bringing back extreme adventure rides, with huge days in the saddle being my preferred choice of riding. Normally efficient bikes are my preference, so you would think the Yeti being the most efficient pedaling bike I have tested in its category would be my style of bike? Well the truth is, the Yeti SB140 has an aggressive nature that just currently is not my life vibe. As sedona hippy-esque as that sounds like, it's true.
The stock Yeti Sb140 wants to be ridden as a race bike. It’s lower stack height by almost a full inch if not more than other 140mm 29ers on the market, as well as lower rise stock Yeti bars, clearly want you in the attack position. This is also exagerated for me as being 6'2 with a high saddle height puts me that much higher on the bike, making the lower stack height feel more exaggerated than say someone shorter would feel on the same bike. The bike's longer wheelbase and longer chainstay also support you in that attack position, giving you the stability necessary to go the speeds the bike wants you to go.
I don't want to go those speeds. I don't want to race. I don't want to choose straight instead of up, down, and all around. I have a much more playful nature right to my riding style currently and soul rides have been my personal go to’s. Sure I can get out there and hammer it with some fast riders, but I much prefer the “go anywhere and jib off anything” feel the Pivot Switchblade or my Ibis Ripley give me.
I also love crawling down steep tech, something that I feel isn't the Yeti Sb140’s strongest area. Is it bad at slow speed tech? Not necessarily, but it's also not its preference. The bike wants you to let off the brakes and let it eat, even more so than the 180mm Rocky mountain Slayer I'm riding. The Slayer at least lets me feel like Im in control, where the Yeti almost barks when I tell it what to do. It wants to go fast and I feel like I am holding it back.
They say if you love something, you need to let it go. And I think I just might do that.
-Mo Awesome
